Daisuke Serizawa
"If my device can serve a good purpose, I would announce it to everyone in the world! But in its current form, it's just a weapon of horrible destruction. Please understand, Ogata!" -Dr. Serizawa to Hideto Ogata about the Oxygen Destroyer ' Doctor Daisuke Serizawa' (芹沢大助, Serizawa Daisuke) was a scientist and one of the first colonists of Nippon. While relatively unknown to the rest of the Galaxy, Dr. Serizawa played perhaps the most important role in the colony's history; specifically through creating the superweapon which killed the first Godzilla encountered by the JSDF. Although he single-handily saved the colonists by destroying the kaiju, he committed suicide by doing so, destroying all records of the weapon and taking its secrets with him to the grave. History Early Life Throughout his college life, Daisuke Serizawa was part of a small group of friends, who affectionately referred to him as a "mad scientist." His closest friend was Steve Martin, and he had close ties to the Yamane family; one of his professors was Kyohei Yamane, who saw great potential in Serizawa and was so pleased with him as a young man that he helped facilitate a relationship between Serizawa and his daughter, Emiko. One moment in his past defined Serizawa; he and his friends were involved in a situation in which his school had a lockdown due to dangerous criminals entering the building. His classroom was broken into, and in a desperate attempt to defend his classmates, Serizawa received a terrible ocular injury and was knocked out. He woke up in a hospital, being told that shortly after his heroic efforts the criminals were apprehended by security. Serizawa eventually graduated and continued studying, receiving his doctorate in the field of chemistry. Colonizing Nippon Daisuke Serizawa was one of the first colonists of Nippon. He went by unnoticed to most of the other colonists, keeping mostly to himself and his research, despite being close to Emiko, whom he shared a romantic relationship with. Dr. Serizawa studied elements and their effects on other objects and organisms. He eventually discovered a new element—"micro-oxygen"—that could create a destructive chemical reaction which liquefied living tissue through reaction with oxygen atoms. He was initially horrified by the destructive potential of his "Oxygen Destroyer" but chose to continue researching it, confident that he could develop it into something that would benefit society. Meanwhile, he kept its existence secret from everyone. When the colony had its first encounters with Godzilla, Dr. Serizawa remained safe in his home, which was located in a sector close to the center of the colony and had yet to be attacked by the kaiju. Dr. Serizawa paid little attention to the monster despite the immaculate threat presented by it, growing more and more distant from those close to him. However, he decided to show Emiko his discovery on his Oxygen Destroyer; this terrified her, and he made her promise not to tell anyone. Revelation of the Oxygen Destroyer "If the oxygen destroyer is used even once, politicians from around the world will see it. Of course, they'll want to use it as a weapon. Bombs versus bombs, missiles versus missiles, and now a new superweapon to throw upon us all! As a scientist - no, as a human being - I can't allow that to happen!" -Dr. Serizawa to Ogata As the destructive rampage of Godzilla continued and the toll of death and destruction rose, Emiko reluctantly told Ogata about Serizawa's research; Ogata became convinced that Serizawa was the key in defeating Godzilla. Emiko soon returned to Serizawa's lab with Ogata in tow, hoping to convince her fiancé to use the Oxygen Destroyer against Godzilla. After realizing Emiko's betrayal of his trust, Serizawa adamantly refused, maintaining that his weapon would only begin a new age of terror once the world saw what it could do. During the conversation, Ogata also revealed the nature of their affair, which drew Serizawa into a fit of rage. He scuffled briefly with Ogata in defense of his decision as well as personal jealousy over Emiko, but when she pleaded for him to stop, he came to and ceased violence, helping her bandage the minor head wound Ogata had received during the fight. Serizawa insisted nevertheless that he could not use the weapon even once. If his device were used to destroy the monster, he reasoned, the world would not be safe from its power as long as Serizawa was alive; his human weaknesses would be exploited by powerful people to force him to reveal the weapon's horrible secret. He was only convinced to their desperation when Ogata showed him a broadcast across the colony of a mass prayer for peace, as the people of the colony cried out for help and hoped for salvation from the monster which was destroying them. Shaken by the utter destruction, Serizawa finally agreed to use his device, but warned Ogata that he would only use it once. He promised the pair, and made them promise in return, that no matter what, this would be the one and only use of his weapon. Serizawa had every intention to make certain that the secret of his ultimate weapon would remain secret. He burned all of his research concerning the device and insisted he accompany Ogata on the dive to find Godzilla and deploy the Oxygen Destroyer. He became distant from Emiko and the others again, avoiding everyone and not staying in touch, merely working with the JSDF on preparing the weapon for deployment. Though some managed to find him alone at certain times, he would refuse to talk to them, believing he was better off being forgotten. Sacrifice When they found the monster on the seabed, Serizawa convinced the JSDF to allow him to be the one to accompany Ogata for activating the Oxygen Destroyer due to his expertise on the weapon. Arriving at the sleeping Godzilla's abode, he activated the device and signaled for Ogata to return to the surface, waiting until he ascended before cutting his own line and dying with Godzilla. With the only prototype of the Oxygen Destroyer detonated, his notes destroyed, and his own life at an end, Dr. Serizawa hoped to ensure that no one would ever discover the same terrible power he had just unleashed. His last wish, relayed to Ogata through the diving helmet's microphone, was for Ogata, Serizawa's erstwhile romantic rival, and Emiko, now released from her engagement to Serizawa, to find happiness together. Legacy Dr. Serizawa was remembered by the people of Nippon for his great sacrifice in ending the threat of Godzilla. His name is placed on the memorial of the first conflict with Godzilla, and his work in other sciences influencing other intelligent men and women throughout the JSDF. Thanks to his actions, no one has managed to replicate the science of the Oxygen Destroyer to this day. Personality "Humans are weak animals. Even if I burn my notes, the secret will still be in my head. Until I die, how can I be sure I won't be forced by someone to make the device again?" -Dr. Serizawa Dr. Serizawa was a loner by nature, which grew over the years as he delved further and further into his research. When Godzilla first emerged, he paid little attention to the giant monster, believing it to simply be a big animal that the colonists didn't have to worry about. He kept to his research on Oxygen, deciding to leave the studies of Godzilla to Dr. Yamane who was better suited towards that field of science. Initially horrified by his creation of an Oxygen Destroyer, Dr. Serizawa stopped all research and kept its valuable secrets locked away. This revealed to him an open gap in his life, which he began to fill by coming out of his shell and spending time with his former friends, as well as rekindle the relationship he still shared with Emiko; he remained unaware of her then-current decision to leave him behind for Hideto Ogata. The sudden refreshing happiness he found with Emiko made him bold and confident. He gave her insight on his shady, lonely life during dates he suddenly found interest in sharing with her. This confidence, and the happiness he had, took over his fear of his research, which he put aside for his love for Emiko. Eventually, he took her to his lab, and showed her a demonstration of his new discovery. However, Emiko did not react as expected, and was as horrified of the Oxygen Destroyer as Serizawa was. This made him remember the great danger if it were released to public knowledge, so he desperately made her swear into secrecy. When Ogata and Emiko visited him to convince him to let the JSDF use the Oxygen Destroyer, Serizawa expressed surprise at Ogata's knowledge of his research, finding out Emiko betrayed his trust by telling him. When Ogata also revealed Emiko's affair with him, it drove Serizawa to a fit of rage, initiating a brawl with which Serizawa managed to land a wound on Ogata despite lacking the combat training Ogata possessed. Remaining defiant about his research, Serizawa continuously refused the pair of any secrets of the Oxygen Destroyer or any intention that he would help them, despite the threat that Godzilla posed. Following the revelation of the extent of Godzilla's destruction on the colony, Serizawa was shaken to his core due to the sheer destruction and catastrophic number of people affected by the kaiju. In the end, Serizawa showed that he cared deeply for the survival of the colonists despite his disconnection from them. His stubborn refusal to unveil his breakthrough in Micro-Oxygen was ultimately revealed to be out of fear for its potential danger; he was afraid of what he had created, knowing that the Oxygen Destroyer simply could not be used due to the incredible destruction it would cause, and be a scar upon humanity. After he decided to aid the JSDF in making a deployable version of the Oxygen Destroyer for use against Godzilla, he became a recluse once again, avoiding as many people as he could while working with the military on the device. He considered it best if he were forgotten by his peers and close friends, for his dangerous knowledge was finally unveiled and his resolve to be close with Emiko shattered. Never believing that life would be able to coexist with his research, Serizawa made every effort to destroy the incredible discovery he had made. His laboratory was found to be purged of all equipment and instruments, and the notes he had taken were destroyed in a fire. With the only knowledge of the workings of the Oxygen Destroyer remaining in his head, Serizawa knew he could become a very valuable target for powerful people. His final act in life is believed to be motivated by two things: His knowledge of the Oxygen Destroyer and the unveiled affair between Emiko and Ogata. Serizawa showed distant and downward traits immediately following their visit to his lab, which was further bolstered after witnessing the entire colony praying for peace and salvation from Godzilla. He volunteered to be Ogata's aid in deploying the Oxygen Destroyer, which was allowed due to his single expertise of the weapon. Upon their finding of Godzilla, Serizawa had resolved that it was his time to die, having watched interactions with Ogata and Emiko that the pair had truly loved each other and that his time with her was also over. The combination of the threat of his research breaking out and his depression over the loss of Emiko made him cut off his own life support and remain behind while Ogata was retrieved from the ocean, and manually activate the Oxygen Destroyer itself. The decision to take the secrets of the Oxygen Destroyer with him to the grave showed his closest companions the great potential of devastation his research could unleash if it fell into the wrong hands. While he managed to save the Nippon colonists with using it, he ultimately saved humanity for the time being from the unspeakable horrors of the weapon which would threaten all life should it be used for evil purposes. Gallery Trivia *He would often refer to Emiko as his "assistant" whenever she came to see him during his experiments in other projects. He would never let her in while working on the Oxygen Destroyer. Category:JSDF Category:Danno's Characters Category:Male Category:Human Category:Dead